Sports Talk: A Different Formula

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THE GEORGETOWN HOYAS have been ranked in the top 20 each week this season. They have beaten 23 of 27 opponents with two regular season games remaining. And they held a half-game lead in the Big East heading into Thursday night's conference action.

That's who the team is.

But much of the talk, surrounding the No. 11 Hoyas has been about who they are not. Georgetown is not the same group as last year's team, led by Jeff Green, that was blowing out tough opponents at this time last season and eventually reached the Final Four.

There is no one person the Hoyas count on to score 20 points per game. Senior center Roy Hibbert leads the team with 13.4 points per game and just two others — Jonathan Wallace and DaJuan Summers, who tallied a game-high 21 points in Wednesday's win over St. John's — average in double figures in scoring.

Many of the team's wins have been ugly affairs, and four were decided by three points or fewer — all Hoyas victories.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just ask Georgetown's opponents about the team that will visit No. 21 Marquette (20-6, 11-5) Saturday.

"I think people have been unjustly saying negative things about their team — that they're maybe not living up to expectations; that they're not blowing people out," said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, whose team suffered a 73-53 defeat last weekend. "They play in the Big East, the deepest conference in college basketball history. You are not going to blow everybody out. ... It's amazing what expectations will do."

The Hoyas (23-4, 13-3) have not enjoyed many lopsided victories, and, without Green to take the final shot, they have relied on myriad players in key situations.

The formula is different from that of a year ago but equally successful, noted Hibbert, whose squad has won 10 of its last 12 games.

"Last year is in the past," the senior said. "We're building off last year, but every night it's a different player. That's what's so great about this team."

This group will ultimately be judged by how it does in the Big East tournament and subsequent NCAA tournament, not style points or margins of victory.

"At the end of the season, we'll pick up our head and see where we stand," coach John Thompson III said.

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images